Fire extinguishing apparatus



Nov. 8, 1966 R. M. PADELLFORD 3,283,826

FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 20, 1965 Flg 6 nwENToR RALPH M. PADELLFQRD @MIMJIM Fig 5 BY MW .e'lqmvr ATTORNEYS United States Patent Oce 3,283,826 Patented Nov. 8, 1966 3,283,826 FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Ralph M. Padellfold, Nevada, Iowa, assignor to Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc., Ames, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Filed Aug. 20,1963, Ser. No. 303,242 2 Claims. (Cl. 169-1) This invention relates to. fire extinguishing apparatus and method and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method that operates by smothering a fire.

The invention described herein was made or conceived in the course of orunder a contract with the United States Atomic Energy Commission.

The invention has particular utility in extinguishing small lires and employs a woven asbestos, cup-shaped member `for conning the flammable material- The provision of such a device and the method of use, therefore, constitute an objective of this invention. u

Another object of the invention is to provide'a novel lire extinguishing device, and the method of use thereof wherein an asbestos cup is equipped with unique handle means .for developing a unique manipulative procedure relative to small fires.

Other objects and advantages of the invention may be seen in the details of construction and operation set down in this specification.

The invention is described in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which- FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective View of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentarylongitudinal sectional view of the device of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a perspective View, partially broken away, of a modified version of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4 4 Of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary View, partially broken away, of yet another modification of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6 6 of FIG. 5.

In the illustration given and with particular reference to FIG. l, the numeral 10 designates generally a cup con- Structed of finely woven asbestos-preferably aluminizedto which is attached an elongated handle generally designated 11. The handle 11 is equipped with a cartridge mechanism generally disgenated 12, and the assembly of elements 10-12 is seen in the hands of an operator 13.

Referring to FIG. 2, it is seen that the handle 11 is tubular in construction, having a longitudinally-extending bore 14 communicating at one end as at 15 with the interi-or 16 of the cup 10. The base 17 of the cup is seen to be suitably reinforced by a flexible wire ring as at 18.

The handle 11 is secured within an aperture 19 in the cup 10 by means of suitable lock nuts 20 and 21 threadedly received on the tubular handle 11. Additionally, a rubber washer 22 may be applied to the inner end of the handle 11.

The tubular bore 14 is closed at the outer end by means of a plug 23, also threadedly fixed to the handle 11. Pro' jecting latera-lly of the tubular handle 11 is a nipple 24 which is threadedly received within a transverse -bore 25. It will be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the nipple 24 extends in the direction of the base or closed end of the cup 10. Mounted on the nipple 24 is the cartridge-holding device 12, which is seen to support a cartridge 26. The device 12 communicates with the -bore 14 through the nipple 24 and is equipped with a hand screw 27 which is arranged for piercing the cartridge 26. A threaded closure 28 is provided `for inserting and removing the cartridge 26. The cartridge 26 preferably contains carbon dioxide or nitrogen, i.e., an incombustible or inert gas, for extinguishing the fire by displacing the oxygen within the fire cup 10. These cartridge ordinarily may vbe purchased -for as little as fifteen cents, and a singl-e cartridge wil-l do the work of several large carbon dioxide extinguishers because all of the inert gas is contained within the lire cup 10. The savings achieved are attractive in that the carbon dioxide or nitrogen re cup may be recharged for fifteen cents as compared to the six or seven dollars it costs to recharge one IO-pound carbon dioxide fire extinguisher.

A second type of re cup is seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, with the cup portion again being constructed of woven asbestos and being designated by the numeral 110, the handle portion being generally designated by the numeral 111. The embodiment seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 is employed for transferring 4burning material from an area where other flammables are stored and where the lire hazard is great. The asbestos cloth wall will breathe and allow the safe release of excessive pressure, there-by minimizing the danger of explosion while transferring burning material. However, the asbestos cloth is ysufficiently dense to prevent oxygen from entering the cup from the outside to feed the contained fire. In addition, the wall of the cup acts as a fire screen should the burning material be a flammable liquid which might sweep through the wall during transfer.

In the illustration given in FIGS. 3 and 4, the asbestos cup is equipped with a stiff wire ring 112 suitably fastened by means of clips 113 to the closed end of the cup. A iiexi-ble wire 114 is woven around the open end 115 of the bag 110, the wire ends terminating at the handle portion in a loop ll-thereby permitting the open end 115 to be closed by drawing on the loop 116.

The handle 111 'includes a pair of metal brackets 117 which, at the upper ends thereof, are U-shaped as at 118 to support the cup 110 by engaging the stiff ring 112.

In operation, the wire loop pull ring 116 is pulled to close the open end 115 so 4as to permit transfer of the flammable material to a remote site. This `transfer lire cup extinguishes small fires by depriving them of oxygen and permits the safe transfer of burning material away from hazardous areas lwhere other flammable materials are sto-red.

A third form of the invention is Iseen in FIGS. 5 and 6, which includes la cup `210 and a handle 211. The handle 211 includes a flexible wire loop 212 having one end terminating in a pull ring 2'1'3, the other end 214 being xed to the handle 211.

The cup 210 is substantially rigidawalled and is molded from sheet asbestos. The cup 210 is molded so as to provide a groove 215 around the Icircumference o-f the culp near the closed top 216. The bottom 217 of the cup is open.

In operation, the handle is applied to the cup, whereupon the cup may Ibe positioned open-mounted downwardly on la fire so as to extinguish the same, the handle being removable as desired.

Each of the fire cups shown yand described accomplishes its extinguishing purpose without contaminating the burning material. This is particularly important in a scientic laboratory where even small quantities of material may be worth `thousands of dollars-materials that may he ruined by fusing dry powder, dry chemical, lime graphite, or other extinguishing agents. The cups keep 'heat and ame contained so =as to prevent any nearby flammable liquids or pyroforic materials from igniting and afford protection to Ithe user fby containing heat, smoke, fiumes, llames and toxic gases which can be produced by laboratory materials.

While in the foregoing specification a detailed description of the invention has been set ydown lfor the purpose of explanation thereof, many variations in the details herein given may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A rire extinguishing apparatus comprising a cup constructed of woven asbestos material and having an open mouth .adapted to be face downwardly in extinguishing a fire, .a reinforcing rinlg mounted in said cup generally parallel to and spaced from said mouth, a conduit-providing tubular handle coupled at one end thereof to said cup and communicating with the cup interior and extending laterally away from said culp, said handle `being equipped with a cartridge holding device, said device being adapted to `confine a cartridge land deliver inert gas therefrom lto said handle conduit, said handle being closed at the other end thereof whereby inert gas from said cartridge is directed into said cup.

2. A re extinguishing apparatus comprising -a cup constructed of woven asbestos material and having an open mouth, adapted to `be face downwardly in extinguishing .a -re, a reinforcing ring mounted in sai-d cup generally parallel to and spaced lto said mouth and providing a top for said cup, a conduit-providing tubular handle coupled at one end to said cup adjacent to, but spaced below said ring and communicating Awith the cup interior, said handle extending laterally away from said cup rand being equipped with a cartridge holding device adjacent the laterally eX- tending end thereof, said device supporting a puncturable cartridge conning an inert gas, a puncture means on said cartridge holding device, said cartridge holding device being equipped with a second conduit communicating with the handled conduit toldeliver inert :gais from said cartridge to the cup interior, said woven abestos material being capable of exure to relieve ex-cess pressure resulting from delivery of said inert gas thereto.

References Cited by the Examiner EVERETT W. KIR'BY, Primary Examiner. I. HUSSER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS COMPRISING A CUP CONSTRUCTED OF WOVEN ASBESTOS MATERIAL AND HAVING AN OPEN MOUTH ADAPTED TO BE FACE DOWNWARDLY IN EXTINGUISHING A FIRE, A REINFORCING RING MOUNTED IN SAID CUP GENERALLY PARALLEL TO AND SPACED FROM SAID MOUTH, A CONDUIT-PROVIDING TUBULAR HANDLE COUPLED AT ONE END THEREOF TO SAID CUP AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE CUP INTERIOR AND EXTENDING LATERALLY AWAY FROM SAID CUP, SAID HANDLE BEING EQUIPPED WITH A CARTRIDGE HOLDING DEVICE, SAID DEVICE BEING ADAPTED TO CONFINE A CARTRIDGE AND DELIVER INERT GAS THEREFROM TO SAID HANDLE CONDUIT, SAID HANDLE BEING CLOSED AT THE OTHER END THEROF WHEREBY INERT GAS FROM SAID CARTRIDGE IS DIRECTED INTO SAID CUP. 